I looked up the terms regarding damage claims in the CoC:
In the case of loss of, damage to or delay in delivery of a Passenger’s personal property, including Baggage, a preliminary notice of claim must be submitted to CO by the Passenger within four hours after arrival of the flight on which the Baggage was or was to be transported. In the event of failure to give such preliminary notice of claim (absent extraordinary circumstances to be determined at CO’s discretion), no action shall lie against CO.
While it's nice to know that a friendly CO agent can, at their discretion, help with these issues... I would very much like to know the official policy for delayed AND damaged bags. So you make your delay claim "within four hours after arrival of the flight on which the Baggage was or was to be transported." Then they deliver your damaged luggage a couple of days later... and then what? You're outside of the window of when it "was to be transported," and probably more than four hours after it was actually transported. And you're not at the airport to make an immediate claim.
Are these "extraordinary circumstances"?
